When Leonard Strickland dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, it brings together the three women in his life: his wife, Nell, and his two daughters, Cate and Lydia. As they grieve for the father and husband they've lost, the three look back on their lives, assessing the past, measuring their strengths and weaknesses, recalling the men they've known and the choices they've made. For Cate and Lydia, the death of their father came at a time when both their lives were in the midst of changing: Lydia has left her husband, and Cate faces losing her job at the small Midwestern college where she teaches. -- Description by: Nancy Pearl